The 2nd was overcast and the weather was generally mild and changeable with South-Westerly winds until the 13th. The 5th was very mild with a maxima of 54F, the highest recorded during the month. The 7th was windy but good sunshine totals were recorded on both the 6th and the 8th. A high pressure system brought a dry interlude between the 8th and the 10th but the 12th was an unsettled day with heavy showers.
A northerly interlude between the 13th and the 15th brought colder weather, but there were still two fine days recorded on both the former and the latter date. The first snowfall of the winter occurred at 1am on the 14th, but it didn't last. From the 16th to the 27th a large anticyclone covered the UK bringing dry and settled weather. On the 16th, 1042 MB was recorded. the highest of the month. No rain was recorded between the 15th and the 23rd. The daytime temperature was mainly around average during this spell, but two sunny, cloudless days occurred on the 17th and the 21st.
A dramatic end came to what had been mainly a quiet month. The last four days saw a return of very mild South-Westerly winds. Low pressure came in from the Atlantic and whilst the strong winds on the 28th were bad enough, the 29th was an horrendous day with stormy and rough conditions. The mean wind speed was 50mph and there were some gusts up to 75mph. Heavy rain fell to make matters worse. Despite this, conditions were very mild. There were further strong winds on the evening of the 30th with a gust up to 70mph. The final day's temperature didn't fall below 47F at any point, and it was the mildest of the month with a maxima of 55F recorded.
January 2000 was generally a mild month, and there were no severely cold outbreaks. The night-time temperatures fell below freezing only three times. The month was unsettled up to the 14th, then it was quiet and anticyclonic to the 28th. It was overall the driest January since 1997. Sunshine was well above average and it was the sunniest January recorded since that of 1959, a marked contrast to the very dull January of 1996.
Kevin Phillips - 9.20pm - Sunday 6th February 2000.
